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Oakland follows Berkeley’s lead on living wage law
Last month, Berkeley leaders put pressure on marina restaurant Skates by the Bay to pay its employees a “living wage” – an attempt to make the Bay Area’s high cost of living more bearable. This month, the city of Oakland is following suit.
Oakland’s Port Commission passed a resolution Tuesday requiring dozens of airport and seaport tenants on city property to pay their workers a “living wage” regardless of the tenants’ current lease status.
Many tenants had been dodging Oakland’s current living wage ordinance by maintaining month-to-month leases with the city, which exempted them from the ordinance. Until Tuesday’s resolution, only tenants with long-term leases were obliged to pay “living wages.”
“After carefully reviewing the living wage charter amendment, it has become clear that the spirit of the law strongly indicates the need to take this step,” said Frank Kiang, Port Commission board president.
Oakland’s living wage ordinance for city tenants went into effect in March when Oakland voters passed Measure I.
As a result, businesses that operate on Oakland property are required to pay their employees $10.78 an hour when health benefits are not offered. In Berkeley, the “living wage,” which was approved in 2000, is $11.37 an hour when health benefits are not offered. The state minimum wage is $6.75 an hour.
“There was a loophole in the [Oakland] law that businesses were taking advantage of,” said Amaha Kassa of the East Bay Alliance for Sustainable Economy. “We essentially closed the loophole.”
In July, the Berkeley City Council gave the city manager’s office approval to move forward with the enforcement of the living wage ordinance at Skates by the Bay. The city can either terminate the restaurant’s lease or file a lawsuit.
Arguments in Berkeley and Oakland are similar on both sides of the living wage law. Advocates of the “living wage” argue that it helps workers afford the area’s high cost of living. Many employers, though, say it reduces their ability to provide good customer service and prices, and eliminates the possibility of paying part-time workers.
